e-bar, Volume 9, Features New Look
Article Date: Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Written By: Russell Rawlings
Welcome to Volume 9 of e-bar, the weekly electronic newsletter of the North Carolina Bar Association. Beginning its ninth year of distribution today, the popular NCBA member benefit has been refreshed to incorporate a new look into e-bar's familiar format.
But the basic concept and delivery of e-bar will remain the same: news and information that can be reviewed in approximately 60 seconds.
Format
The e-bar format consists of a series of leads and links covering a variety of topics relative to members of the legal profession in general and members of the NCBA in particular. Every e-bar item is followed by a link that provides access to additional information or subsequent action on behalf of the recipient, such as an e-mail address or online transaction via the NCBA Web site. Additional links are often imbedded in the news items.
News
News content for e-bar will often include matters of state and national interest, including the courts, the N.C. State Bar, the General Assembly and Congress. Newsmakers, especially citizen lawyers who are providing exemplary leadership and service in their respective communities, are often highlighted. Association news is also a major component of e-bar, including CLE alerts, awards nominations and deadlines, the NCBA Annual Meeting and coverage of the NCBA Board of Governors and the NCBA Foundation Board of Directors.
The NCBA’s new Center for Practice Management and the NCBA Information Technology (IT) Department also provide e-bar with an excellent source for content relating to law office management and the latest developments in legal technology. The inclusion of this material has been provided in response to member input reflected in the current strategic plan, Momentum 2010.
In Memoriam
In Memoriam provides a mechanism a method through which members are notified of the deaths of fellow legal professionals. The e-bar component pairs with the In Memoriam section of the NCBA Web site, located in the Membership area, to allow for continuous updating and review. Members are encouraged to notify e-bar (via Comments) when they learn of the death of a colleague; similarly, members may also check the In Memoriam section of the Web site to confirm whether notification has already occurred.
Web Site of the Week
The Web Site of the Week is the most unique component of e-bar. Content varies from sites of professional interest to sites that may be considered entertaining and informative. Blogs are occasionally denoted when relevant sources choose to present their information in this format. Inclusion as a Web Site of the Week does not necessarily imply endorsement; some sites are included so as to alert members of developments taking place that may be of concern to legal professionals. The Communications Department endeavors to provide Web Sites of the Week that are neither offensive nor controversial.
In keeping with NCBA policy, e-bar does not endorse political candidates. Coverage pertaining to elected officials and judges, or individuals who have been nominated or appointed to serve a similar capacity, is provided to highlight their accomplishments and to inform of members of important developments taking place within the profession.
Changes
Volume 9 of e-bar will strive to provide NCBA members with a weekly communications vehicle that is both informative and interactive. Expect to see more questions and queries encouraging member feedback and response. Members are an excellent source of news and information pertaining to their colleagues, and their help is greatly appreciated in covering a state as vast as North Carolina. Responses are held in confidence: e-bar never reveals its sources!
The look of e-bar has been refreshed from top to bottom, literally. Recipients will readily notice a revamped e-bar logo atop the newsletter. Scrolling down below the Web Site of the Week, recipients should also notice a series of rectangular menu items to the right of the NCBA logo. These “buttons” or “badges,” as they are sometimes referred to, replace the old e-bar taglines.
This series of action items and information prompts includes several permanent items, such as Join/Renew to renew your NCBA membership online; Password to assist members who have forgotten their NCBA passwords; Benefits which provides more information on our Affinity Partner program; Lawyer Referral for lawyers who want to join the N.C. Lawyer Referral Service; and CLE which provides direct access to this vital NCBA Foundation program.
Social Networking is new to e-bar and to the NCBA; click on this item and learn more about the NCBA’s new group sites on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Additional items will be featured, such as online registration for the NCBA Annual Meeting, awards and special events.
Archives
Long after e-bar has been deleted from the Inbox, the content remains available online via the NCBA Web site under e-bar Archives. No guarantees regarding the external media links, which have often been overwritten or removed, but the e-bar content and links to the NCBA Web site will remain accessible for several years.